Why We Fight is a series of seven documentary films commissioned by the United States government during World War II whose purpose was to show American soldiers the reason for U.S. involvement in the war. Later on they were also shown to the general U.S. public to persuade them to support American involvement in the war.

Most of the films were directed by Frank Capra, who was daunted yet also impressed and challenged by Leni Riefenstahl's propaganda film Triumph of the Will and who worked in direct response to it. The series faced a tough challenge: convincing an only recently non-interventionist nation of the need to become involved in the war and ally with the Soviets, among other things. In many of the films, Capra and other directors spliced in Axis powers propaganda footage going back twenty years, and recontextualized it so it promoted the cause of the Allies.Why We Fight was edited primarily by William Hornbeck, although some parts were re-enacted "under War Department supervision" if there was no relevant footage available. The animated portions of the films were produced by the Disney studios – with the animated maps following a convention of depicting Axis-occupied territory in black.

PRELUDE TO WAR: examines the difference between democratic and fascist states, and covers the Japanese conquest of Manchuria and the Italian conquest of Ethiopia. Capra describes it as "presenting a general picture of two worlds; the slave and the free, and the rise of totalitarian militarism from Japan's conquest of Manchuria to Mussolini's conquest of Ethiopia."

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THE NAZIS STRIKE: covers Nazi geopolitics and the conquest of Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland. Capra's description: "Hitler rises. Imposes Nazi dictatorship on Germany. Goose-steps into Rhineland and Austria. Threatens war unless given Czechoslovakia. Appeasers oblige. Hitler invades Poland. Curtain rises on the tragedy of the century—World War II."

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DIVIDE AND CONQUER: about the campaign in Benelux and the Fall of France. Capra's description: "Hitler occupies Denmark and Norway, outflanks Maginot Line, drives British Army into North Sea, forces surrender of France."

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THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN depicts Britain's victory against the Luftwaffe. Capra's synopsis: "Showing the gallant and victorious defense of Britain by Royal Air Force, at a time when shattered but unbeaten British were only people fighting Nazis

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THE BATTLE OF RUSSIA shows a history of Russian defense and Russia's battle against Germany. Capra's synopsis: "History of Russia; people, size, resources, wars. Death struggle against Nazi armies at gates of Moscow and Leningrad. At Stalingrad, Nazis put through meat grinder."

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THE BATTLE OF CHINA shows Japanese aggression such as the Nanking Massacre and Chinese efforts such as the construction of the Burma Road and the Battle of Changsha. Capra's synopsis: "Japan's warlords commit total effort to conquest of China. Once conquered, Japan would use China's manpower for the conquest of all Asia."

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WAR COMES TO AMERICA shows how the pattern of Axis aggression turned the American people against isolationism. Capra's synopsis: "Dealt with who, what, where, why, and how we came to be the U.S.A.—the oldest major democratic republic still living under its original constitution. But the heart of the film dealt with the depth and variety of emotions with which Americans reacted to the traumatic events in Europe and Asia.

The following images are not merely of the Nazi brutality in the concentration camps, but the series of articles cover the excessive besti...

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Quotes about war....

"War grows out of the desire of the individual to gain advantage at the expense of his fellow man."--Napoleon Hill

"We have failed to grasp the fact that mankind is becoming a single unit, and that for a unit to fight against itself is suicide."--Havelock Ellis

'Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed."--Mao Tse-Tung (1893 - 1976)

"I'm fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in."--George McGovern

"The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic."--Joseph Stalin

It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets. --Voltaire, War

In war, truth is the first casualty. -- Aeschylus

"The ability and inclination to use physical strength is no indication of bravery or tenacity to life. The greatest cowards are often the greatest bullies. Nothing is cheaper and more common than physical bravery." --Clarence Darrow,Resist Not Evil

"The victor will never be asked if he told the truth."--Adolf Hitler

"To walk through the ruined cities of Germany is to feel an actual doubt about the continuity of civilization."--George Orwell

"Patriots always talk of dying for their country and never of killing for their country."--Bertrand Russell

Men are at war with each other because each man is at war with himself. --Francis Meehan

Snippets From History

German Soldiers in Russia: Part 1

Hubert Menzel was a major in the General Operations Department of the OKH (the Oberkommando des Heers, the German Army headquarters), and for him the idea of invading the Soviet Union in 1941 had the smack of cold, clear logic to it: 'We knew that in two years' time, that is by the end of 1942, beginning of 1943, the English would be ready, the Americans would be ready, the Russians would be ready too, and then we would have to deal with all three of them at the same time.... We had to try to remove the greatest threat from the East.... At the time it seemed possible.'

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Battle for Berlin, 1945

'We started to fire at the masses,' says one former German machine gunner. 'They weren't human beings for us. It was a wall of attacking beasts who were trying to kill us. You yourself were no longer human.'

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Berlin after it fell to the Russians, 1945

"Vladlen Anchishkin, a Soviet battery commander on the 1st Ukrainian Front, sums up the horror of the whole event, when he tells how he took personal revenge on German soldiers: 'I can admit it now, I was in such a state, I was in such a frenzy. I said, 'Bring them here for an interrogation' and I had a knife, and I cut him. I cut a lot of them. I thought, 'You wanted to kill me, now it's your turn.'Read More

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Dramatic Pictures: Battle For Stalingrad

"...Effective command no longer possible... further defense senseless. Collapse inevitable. Army requests immediate permission to surrender in order to save lives of remaining troops."General Paulus' radio message to Hitler on January 24, 1943

"...Capitulation is impossible. The 6th Army will do its historic duty at Stalingrad until the last man, the last bullet..."

Hitler's response to General Friedrich Paulus' request to withdraw from the city

Points To Ponder....

The fall of France was shocking. It reduced France to virtually a non-player in the Second World War. The efforts of Charles de Gualle were more symbolic than material. But the martial instincts of the French must never be doubted. Under Napoleon they were a formidable military power. The French definitely have more iron in their blood then say, the Italians [I do not mean it in a derogatory sense. War never makes sense]

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Bias Of Western Historians

Soviet resistance made possible a successful Allied invasion of France, and ensured the final Allied victory over Germany.

It can hardly be called mere 'resistance'! If it hadn't been for the Russians, Hitler would have made mincemeat of British forces in Africa and landed on British shores in no time. Hitler attacked Russia first because it had more land and resources than Britain. It is as simple as that.

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SOME WW2 FACTS..........In 1941, the military of the United States was smaller than the Romanian military...........When Germany invaded Russia in 1941 during Operation Barbarossa, they invaded across a 1,500 mile (2,400km) front. This is longer than the entire US Eastern Seaboard..........The United States is estimated to have fed no less than 6 million Soviet citizens continually during WW2. In addition to this, the US military fed up to 11 million American military personnel during the war along with additional citizens of Hawaii and the Philippines..........In 1941 , the German military lost more soldiers to frostbite than they did the Soviet Army..........There was one incident of chemical warfare being used during WW2. The US military had brought canisters of Mustard Gas into the Italian port of Bari “Just in case” of chemical warfare against Germany. The German Luftwaffe bombed these ships, letting loose the chemical cargo stores. A total of 27 cargo ships were lost and over 2,000 military & civilian casualties resulted. It is unknown just how many people died from the release of chemicals versus how many died from explosions..........More V2 rockets fell on Belgium than on Britain..........The German military was able to establish a secret base of operation on the coast of Labrador, Canada. The Germans hid the weather station so well that it was only discovered in the 1970s – 30 years after the war..........The German military employed over 3 MILLION pack animals, most of which were horses during their invasion of the USSR...........The United States employed a ‘Special Weapons Unit’ during WW2 that was entirely made up of foreign weapons. They had to be very careful when in use as most American soldiers knew what the enemy weapons sounded like and would often target the friendly unit...........During WW2, there were TWO carriers stationed on the great lakes near Michigan. They were used exclusively to train naval pilots on how to land on moving carriers. These carriers were hidden in such secrecy that most people did not know their existence till after the war was over..........Source: KnowlwedgeGlue